Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 May 23

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May 23

Removing notification that this biographical article needs additional citations

I noticed the following alert on a page that I recently edited. "This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2010)" I providied additional citations for verification but the alert is still on the page. How can I have it removed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kwfraser (talk • contribs) 00:28, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I would assume this article has been deleted, so the point is moot. In the future, you can go to WP:Requests for feedback to request feedback on whether an issue in a maintenance tag has been addressed. Any editor can remove a tag. Intelligentsium 00:36, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

What is a "Links in Headings?"

sock blocked
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
I don't know what that means. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Log out now (talk • contribs) 00:32, 23 May 2010 (UTC) Scroll up to "Saxondale" on this page. That is an example of a link (short for Wikilink) in a heading. It is fine in talk pages but not in articles.--SPhilbrickT 00:34, 23 May 2010 (UTC) I see, Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Log out now (talk • contribs) 00:35, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Do we need this article?

Hi, I have a question about Godspell-Original_Australian_Cast. I don't know if we need a standalone article about the Australian production of "Godspell," since there was nothing unusual about that production. Can this be merged into the main "Godspell" article? Thanks. The Pebble Dare (talk) 00:35, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello? Can anyone answer this? The Pebble Dare (talk) 12:26, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I had a quick look yesterday. It's not about the Australian production as such, it's about an album recording of the original Aussie production. As such, it may be more notable than an article purely about one production. However, if you have any concerns you could propose it for deletion or send it to articles for deletion. The first process ("proposed deletion") can easily be contested - an editor simply needs to remove the "proposed deletion" tag that you added. The second process ("articles for deletion") involves multiple editors discussing whether the article should be deleted. You may want to try the first process first, and - if someone disagrees and removes your "proposed deletion" tag - then move on to the second process. Cheers, TFOWR^propaganda 15:07, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you. I will give it a go. The Pebble Dare (talk) 20:48, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

David R. Bryant, Perkin Medal recipient, 1998

Hello~

I have written an article to be included under Perkin Medal recipient, 1998. I have selected 'save' several times, but the article does not appear. Can you help me please?

Thank youUalei (talk) 00:43, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Make sure you are logged in when you try to create the page. Only users who are logged in can create pages on Wikipedia. See Help:Login for help. Robert Skyhawk ^{So sue me!} (You'll lose) 00:52, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

• You've created the article on your userpage - it needs to be moved to article space, I will do this for you. DuncanHill (talk) 00:54, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Your contribution is here: David R. Bryant--SPhilbrickT 00:57, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

It is a good start but it has a ways to go. I personally would not have moved it until it was ready. Please see WP:CITE and footnotes for the proper way to add references, which are critical.--SPhilbrickT 01:00, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Need to delete a file I uploaded

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 16:22, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Hi, I uploaded a picture file, and I need to delete it to replace with a different one. Is there a quick way to do so? (I read the deletion policy from the FAQ and my head promptly exploded.) Rails (talk) 01:39, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Add {{Db-g7}} to the file in question. An admin will then delete it shortly. Feinoha ^{Talk, My master} 01:41, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Rails (talk) 01:42, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

May 22 2010

Need help policing an article, Need for Speed Underground 2. Constant vandals changing Caleb's gang's name to street reaper when the gang's name is actually The Wraiths. (SnakeEyesNinja (talk) 02:08, 23 May 2010 (UTC))

I've linked the article name for you. It's courteous to do this for people so that they can more easily get to the article in question. Dismas|^(talk) 02:12, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

From inspecting the article's history, it appears you're the only user that is actively supporting your change. No one here will help you "police" an article to enforce your preferred version. That's the very definition of edit warring (continually reverting a change you disagree with), and I'll be frank -- edit warring is one of the most pigheaded acts that an editor can perform here. I suggest you go to the article's talk page and civilly explain why you are making the change you are making; if you can help it, stop editing the article in the meantime. Reliable sources will have to be found and inspected to verify what you say is true. Xenon54 (talk) 02:23, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Is there a way to add blank space on either side of centered text?

When creating tables and cells, is there a way to add a bit of space on either side of centered text, so the text isn't so close to the cells' borders? Adding regular spaces on either side of text doesn't work. —Preceding unsigned comment added by SyncopatorSyncopator (talk • contribs) 02:19, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean. By default, columns are drawn as wide as the widest entry in the list. For example: (Edit this section to see code)

P	Team
1	FC Bayern München
2	Schalke 04
3	Werder Bremen

You can use <div align="center"> to center text. If the text does not stretch to fit the whole cell, then space will be added. If you do not specify an alignment, text will be left-aligned.

P	Team
1	FC Bayern München
2	Schalke 04
3	Werder Bremen

Or, you can define column width to be wider than all of the text, thus adding space to every row:

P	Team
1	FC Bayern München
2	Schalke 04
3	Werder Bremen

I hope I have answered your question; if not, could you point to the article where you are having this issue? Xenon54 (talk) 02:32, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know the protocol, here, so I hope this reply conforms.... Although I attempted to word my question quite carefully, you didn't answer it. I'm grateful for your reply, but I was already aware of the info you shared. Still, thanks for your input.

You can use cellpadding to make space between cell content and cell borders. See Help:Table. You can also make non-breaking spaces with &nbsp; instead of regular spaces. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:40, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Fantastic. That's what I was looking for. Thanks.

You can also do space padding with {{pad}}. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 15:43, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Project status propagation to talk page tags

Does the current status of a WikiProject automatically propagate to the tags on the talk pages of its articles? I ask because although Wikipedia:WikiProject Country Music is currently deemed to be semi-active, the project tags on the talk pages of its articles continue to show the project as inactive. Thanks, RadioBroadcast (talk) 02:53, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Formatting Question

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 16:22, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I was able to combine 2 user boxes into 1, with an archive box below it but I don't know how to format both of those so that they appear flush left on the page; or alternatively, the userboxes flush left and the archive box to the right. Here is the page in question. Thank you. LoreMariano (talk) 02:55, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

OK, I was able now to get the archives box within User Boxes, but the formatting is bothering me. I would like to know: 1)how to get the whole box flush left; and 2)how to get the boxes within the boxes flush left. Thank you. LoreMariano (talk) 03:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I just increased the spacing of the archiving box until to my eye it was as flush as possible with the one below. Is it better now?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:48, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, perfect! Is there a way to get the whole box flush left? LoreMariano (talk) 03:51, 23 May 2010 (UTC) Now I'm trying to make the last box the same width, but the pixel setting didn't work on that one. I appreciate your help. LoreMariano (talk) 04:39, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know how to get the last box flush. It's hardcoded. It doesn't look bad because it's centered underneath the other two. Maybe someone else can help.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 15:01, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. LoreMariano (talk) 16:59, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Vector APR

Now that we have switched from monobook to vector, I am wondering if vector has the feature that you can add the automated peer review link to your header. Monobook use to have such a feature, but if you chose to have a the clock in the upper right it covered the APR link. Is there a way to add the APR link now while retaining the clock?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 06:09, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Damn that script is crappy.... I'll see if I can do some cleanup for it. —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 12:35, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

It should work in the basics again, but the script is terribly browser specific. I really requires a lot more cleanup. —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 13:43, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Hacked Link on the Square_Foot_Gardening page

This link near the bottom of the page All About Square Foot Gardening (<attack site removed>) Basic Building and Cost info for a Square Foot Garden

brings a "security threat" spam page: [<removed>]

This page, modeled to look like the "my Computer" page in Windows Explorer, has the title "Security Threat Analysis". It displays flashing messages like "viruses found", "Security has been damaged by virus", and "Your computer has been infected". I know my system is virus-safe, and I didn't follow any links on this page - but it might be disturbing to some readers.

(Running Firefox 3.6.3 on Windows XP.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Foofler (talk • contribs) 06:18, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The idea of pages like that is to trick the average user into downloading a program because they've been told their computer is infected. and then the program gives them a virus. I don't understand why you posted this here, though. It's not a Wikipedia page, it's an external site. What are you proposing that we should do? Chevymontecarlo 08:22, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for the information. The site indeed tried to attack my computer and Norton shut it down. I have removed the attack site from the page. For future reference, when you find a problem on Wikipedia, you can be bold and act yourself, here by simply clicking "edit" at the top of the horrible new interface or "edit this page" in a real skin like monobook, and removing that external link.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 08:30, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Chevymontecarlo: I imagine Foofler thought oversight would be used to totally remove entries of the attack site. A F K When Needed 21:06, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

pronunciation

It says there is no application for this. How do I set up an application? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.4.77.63 (talk) 07:01, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't understand what you mean. Please explain your problem further. It seems that you are running Windows, and it's telling you the computer dosen't have a certain program to run something. If this is the case, please ask at the computing reference desk, as this forum is for questions on how to use Wikipedia, not for computer problems. Please ask there instead. Thank you. Chevymontecarlo 08:25, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

If what you mean is that you don't have an application that allows you to hear the Ogg audio-pronunciation files on Wikipedia, the instructions at Wikipedia:Media help (Ogg) may be of help. Deor (talk) 16:01, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Wikify backlog random article feature broken

Hi, the random article feature at the category page here is broken (scroll down). According to the error page, the server has been moved. Why has this happened and how I can fix it? I use this feature a lot - it's very useful for me. Thank you. Chevymontecarlo 08:19, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Never mind, I will remove the feature. Chevymontecarlo 06:29, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Source word

what is cartography kind of words are know as ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.17.253.129 (talk) 08:25, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello. This forum is for questions regarding how to use Wikipedia, not for factual or any other type of question. If you have a language question, please ask the Language reference desk, as there are users there who will be happy to help you. Thank you. Chevymontecarlo 08:27, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Deleting history

How do I delete the history ??Ronsquiers (talk) 11:36, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The short answer is that you don't; the history of each article is an important part of Wikipedia. Rarely, history may be hidden or deleted by an administrator for legal reasons or to protect someone's privacy. See Wikipedia:Oversight for more on this. John of Reading (talk) 11:44, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

This assumes you were referring to the page history of a Wikipedia page. If you meant something else like browser history then please clarify. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:38, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

If the question refers to the browser's search history, see WP:RFAQ#SEARCH. --Teratornis (talk) 18:11, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Pushing own writing and published material as sources

For some time I have observed the Mordechai Vanunu page and observed that Eileen fleming frequently edits and adds material from her own site. I asked her on her talk page if she considered this appropriate quite some time ago, especially since edits such as the following appears to be quite emotional rather than factual. What does Wikipedia say about this? Who is the person who should act upon these kinds of actions? --: Dront (talk) 14:56, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

See the links under WP:EIW#Dispute and WP:EIW#Contro. The diff you cited shows an edit that is far from encyclopedic. --Teratornis (talk) 18:45, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

And the best person to act upon these kinds of actions is you. Be bold! Lova Falk talk 18:56, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Raised at WP:BLPN. Dougweller (talk) 20:00, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

File Description Anomaly

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 16:21, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I noticed something a bit odd with a file description, and I could not find a way to fix it. Here's what happens.

When I am not logged in to my Wikipedia account, and I go to the article Alex Day, and I scroll down to the last photo, which is Alex Day YouTube Hat and Pointless Glasses.jpg, and I click on it to go to the file information, I see that it has a large notice of missing copyright information. There is also a link to the Wikimedia Commons information page. When I click on that, I see the file description there does not match what's on the en.wikipedia page. The Commons page does not display the missing copyright information notice. But wait. There's more!

When I am logged in to my Wikipedia account, I see identical file information on both the en.wikipedia and the Commons page - and neither one has the missing copyright information notice. What I see depends on whether or not I'm logged in to Wikipedia. When I'm not logged in, the file descriptions don't match. This is a bit odd, isn't it? I haven't been able to find a way to fix this.

The background: I uploaded this file to Wikimedia Commons, and although I chose the proper general public license, I put the supporting information in the wrong field. The missing copyright information tag was put on the file, at the Commons, and I corrected the error. Then, the tag was removed from the file, and it showed this, on the Commons file information page. But somehow this change was not transmitted to the en.wikipedia information page - or is shown correctly only when I'm logged in.

Apart from my general rule that "If something's not right, something's wrong," the reason I'm concerned about this is that the missing copyright information notice does say that the file can be deleted seven days after the notice was posted. I don't think that's going to happen, if everything is working right - but apparently everything is not working right.

I thought I could fix this by simply removing the photo from the article, saving the change, and then putting the photo back into the article. But after I did all that, the anomaly remained.

Does anyone know how to get the en.wikipedia file information to match the Commons information even when I'm not logged in?

Thanks.

Wmoran9550 (talk) 15:37, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The file at Commons was formerly marked as having a copyright problem. The notice was removed here, so it is not marked for deletion now. The anomaly you are seeing is probably a page caching issue—your computer saved a copy of the page in its cache memory at the time it had the copyright problem notice affixed, and when you are viewing the Commons page, your computer is loading the older version from its cache memory, rather than showing you what is actually on the page presently. I think simply bypassing your browser's cache should fix the issue. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 16:11, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks, but I'm sure it's not a browser-cache issue. First, my browser cache is cleared every time I close the browser. And I check this from time to time. There was no saved page. Second, as I said above, the en.wikipedia info page is different, depending on whether or not I'm signed in. So that can't be a cache issue. It's an interesting little puzzle, and I suggest you try it yourself. Without logging in, view the en.wikipedia info page for that file. It will show the missing copyright information notice. Then sign in and view it again. Now it will not show that notice. I can't think of any explanation for this. The Wiki Commons page is correct whether I'm signed in or not. Wmoran9550 (talk) 01:17, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I tried it earlier and just now again just to make sure and the pages are identical, logged in or out. That's why I figured it had to be a cache issue. If it was a Wikipedia or Commons cache issue that could be purged also, but would show the same for me as you, and since it did not I still think it must be something on your end. Maybe try clearing all of your temporary internet files?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:35, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I purged the page's server cache, by adding ?action=purge at the end of the url, and that seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks.Wmoran9550 (talk) 13:29, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Hyphens in article searches

If the title of an article is hyphenated and a user types it in as unhyphenated, the page does not appear unless a separate unhyphenated page exists with a redirect (and may not appear prominently on the Search page). I think the reverse happens too. Where do I go to suggest that this be improved? Duoduoduo (talk) 16:24, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

One of the easiest ways to fix this problem, since your account is already "auto-confirmed", is to "move" the page to the correct name. See this page for more details on how. Feinoha ^{Talk, My master} 20:32, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Actually, I'm asking if Wikipedia has a "suggestion box" -- I'd like to make a suggestion that the article search box be made to treat hyphens and spaces as equivalent, so readers won't be told that no article exists when one does exist. This is not a question about a problem with a specific article. Duoduoduo (talk) 15:54, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

dark power

.. i have read many articles regarding dis.. is der any1 here who has thru knowledge abt dis and interested 2 have a discussion abt it wit me???. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gravity619 (talk • contribs) 16:42, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Wikipedia:Reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Feinoha ^{Talk, My master} 20:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Downloading PDF files

This question might be more appropriate for my word processor techies, but here goes. I have tried to download several articles as PDF files. It seemed to work, though they are saved in my word processor as acrobat.php files. Is there a difference? Also, when I try to open them in the word processor, I get an error message saying that they can't be accessed because they are either encrypted or corrupted. I think I have the latest versions of Adobe Reader and my word processor programs installed. I have also tried to upload thiese files by going through the Adobe website, and still no luck. The word processor still says that the files are encrypted or corrupted. Am I missing a step? What can I do to download?Kturkalo (talk) 16:57, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Hello. This forum is for questions regarding how to use Wikipedia. For computing questions, please ask at the Computing reference desk. You should get a better answer there as there are other users there who will be able to help you with your computing problem. Thank you. Chevymontecarlo 18:38, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

He's asking how to download Wikipedia articles as pdf, so this is the right place. DuncanHill (talk) 19:20, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, this is the right place to ask, but if an answer doesn't come, there are more techies hanging out at Village pump (technical)--SPhilbrickT 19:33, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I am very sorry. :( Chevymontecarlo 19:53, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried to rename the acrobat.php file to a pdf file, for example article.pdf? If that doesn't work then on the "Rendering finished" screen, try right clicking the "Download the file" link and look for an option to save it instead of opening it. Choose a name ending in .pdf. Did this help? PrimeHunter (talk) 20:08, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I don't know your word processor but many cannot read pdf files. Adobe Reader should be able to read it. It works for me. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:13, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Search

Where is the search bar ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.13.22.128 (talk) 19:07, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The search bar is at the top-right of every page on Wikipedia. See Help:Searching for more information. ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 19:22, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

If you would like to do a textual search either create an account and then click take me back or you may use Special:Search. Feinoha ^{Talk, My master} 20:21, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Or start a search with an empty search field or something not matching a page name. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:25, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The location of the search bar depends on what skin you're running. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 22:29, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The question was from an unregistered user who cannot change skin without logging in. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:32, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I was aware of that, thank you. My answer still applies. Everard Proudfoot (talk) 17:57, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Signing posts: four tildes not working properly

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 16:20, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I posted two replies a few days ago to someone else who was having trouble signing posts, saying I was having a problem, too, but there haven't been any answers. It's been happening for a few weeks. When I use four tildes, my name and the date of my posts show up, but they are not hyperlinked. Sometimes a bot comes through and adds them as a hyperlink. This is fine with me but it looks messy. I am using Firefox but another person with a signing problem was using IE. Is there another way to do a proper post signature besides the malfunctioning four tildes? Candy 19:10, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Is the "Sign my name using the provided wikitext" box ticked in your "my preferences"? If so, untick it, and try again. HTH, - Jarry1250 ^{[Humorous? Discuss.]} 19:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it was ticked. Testing...Candy (talk) 05:59, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Wow, thank you! That was so easy. What's strange is that I did not do anything to my preferences recently. (Actually, I had forgotten they even existed.) So it's weird that this suddenly went wonky. But whatever, I'm glad it's resolved. :) Candy (talk) 06:01, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Tables problem

There is a massive problem with the tables on this article. What is wrong with them? Can anyone help? Thanks. Chevymontecarlo 20:03, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

I checked the page history and reverted to a good version. It was recently messed up by an IP. If you see badly messed up formatting then always check the page history before trying to manually fix it. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:18, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

This link has more information on how to view page history. Feinoha ^{Talk, My master} 20:24, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

That is my page history link. I piped it to the help page and not to the article history as you probably thought (hint: there was no external link arrow). PrimeHunter (talk) 20:28, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Collapsing Sections

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 16:19, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Is there a way to collapse sections on my talk and user pages - if so, what is the code for it?
~QwerpQwertus |_Talk_| |_Contribs_| 20:46, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Try the examples at Template:Collapse top -- John of Reading (talk) 21:08, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! That's just what I was looking for!~QwerpQwertus |_Talk_| |_Contribs_| 21:16, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

malicious link

hello. I know that WP:EL says external links with malicious software should not be included in articles, but there is an article with a malicious external link that is central to the article. the article is .ps and the external link is pnina.ps. The Norton report for the malicious site is here. What is done in this situation? Thank you. Efcmagnew (talk) 22:54, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

If you're sure its malicious - you should report it to an administrator right away. Here is a list of admins, you can put it on their talk page or I can notify someone if you want.
~QwerpQwertus |_Talk_| |_Contribs_| 04:09, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

I have reported it to the admin After Midnight. ~QwerpQwertus |_Talk_| |_Contribs_| 04:13, 24 May 2010 (UTC)